There are lots of good bands out there, the following groups are not among them. Yet, somehow, they pulled it together for at least one song. Allow me to apologize beforehand if one of your favorite groups makes it one here. Maybe listen to some better music.

Nickelback – “How You Remind me”

When I was four or five years old my mother bought me a CD player and two CD’s to go with it. The first was “The Marshall Mathers LP” , totally age appropriate, and the second was “Silver Side Up” by Nickelback. My mom insists the latter was definitely my favorite of the two. Either my tastes changed or Nickelback just got worse because I cannot stand the group. They look like a bunch of dads who got the band back together to play at the fair on short notice. Somehow, Nickelback has sold over 50 million albums singing about girls at parties, drinking, fighting, and the occasional love song that I can’t take seriously. “Rockstar”, “ Photograph”, and “This Means War” get my nod for some of their very worst work. “How You Remind Me”, off of that very album I received as kid, definitely does not suck. It’s a straightforward, guitar- driven song about relationships that stands out to me today because I can hear the grunge influence, which makes sense given the song was released in 2001.

Bryan Adams – “ Run To You”

Yeah I get it, technically a solo act, but Bryan Adams isn’t that great. I’m sure saying that in Vancouver is sacrilegious on some level but the truth is that if you grew up here, even in the past 15 years, you heard enough of him on the radio. I get it, stations need to play a certain amount of Canadian content and Brian fits the bill: massively successful and Vancouver born and raised. Do we really need to hear “Summer Of 69”, “Cuts Like A Knife”, or “One Night Love Affair” five times a day each?! His music is so simple and so repetitive. Some three or four chord progression, trash lead-guitar playing, complete with corny lyrics. “Run to You” is the one song I don’t mind hearing. Heck, I will go out of my way to listen to it. How about that. It’s just a tad slicker than his other efforts and that guitar riff is cool as hell. Yeah, the words are no less corny but this one hits different.

Genesis – “Firth of Fifth”

Genesis has a handful of great songs because once upon a time, before they became the Phil Collins show in the 1980s, they specialized in the type of music that doesn’t make it on the radio. The songs were long, the influences wide (classical, jazz, blues), and the instrumental sections technical and pretentious.

Phil Collins was just the drummer at this point (a very good one mind you), and Peter Gabriel was the enigmatic frontman. “Firth of Fifth” begins with a drawn out classical-like piano intro before transitioning into what is one an early example of progressive-rock. A flute solo, synth solo, then guitar solo soon follow to make for one indulgent but awesome song. This is not driving music but it is great music.